Safety mechanism for power-operated doors.



patented Feb. 20,1917.

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H. F. PAHISP SAFETY MECHANISM FOR POWER OPERATED DOORS,

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APPLcATloN FILED JUNE 9,1914.

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HAROLD F. PARISH, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GRINDEN ART METAL QOMPANY, 0F BROOKLYNNEW YORK, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

r SAFETY MECHANISM FOB. POWER-OPERATEI) DOORS.

Specication of Letters Patent.l

lmaracas.

Patented FeLZO, 1917'.

Application ,led June 9, 1914. Serial No.v 844,053.

' To aZZ whom it may concern.

My invention relates to a safety mecha- -nism for power operated doors and the object of my invention is to provide electrically controlled means for rendering the door operating mechanism inoperative in case the door meets an obstruction during its closing movement and particularly should the obstruction occur as the door nears its fully closed position. v

In the accompanying drawings, g Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of a car door showing my invention applied thereto ther modification.

in one form;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a door showing my invention applied thereto in a second form; Y .l

Fig. 3 is a cross section of a detail of the latter;

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective of a door\ y showing still another method of applying my invention thereto; I Fig. 5 isa plan of a detail of the latter; Figs. 6 and 7 are side elevation and plan respectively of another detail of this mod i-A ication; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective of a detail of a fur- Referring firstto the construction shown in Fig, 1, the car door 10, supported as usual upon'a rail 11 by trolleys 12, may be openedV i or shut by means` of a rod 13 secured at the rear edge of the door and provided at one end with a piston 14 working in cylinder 15.

Fluid pressure-for example, compressed air-is supplied to one face of the piston 14. through pipel 16 to diive the piston ina direction to open the door, while the air is admitted through pipes 17a and 17b to the other face of the piston, to drive the latter in a direction to Aclose the door. The supply of air to the pipes 16 and 17" isregulated in any suitable Way (not shown) controlledl by the conductor of the c'ar. Pipe 17a opens into a valve chamber 18 in which is arranged a plunger valve hfavmg two headsrlpl ,and-2Q. spaced apaijtppthe nem' pipe 17a remains open to the valve chamber l and now communicates with the exhaust opened by the rise of the head 20, t

pipe 17 c,

iis position of the valve the comso that in pressed air inthe. cylinder 15 exhausts through pipe 17 C. The closing movement of the door is thus obviously halted.

The electromagnet winding 23 is connected in any suitable way .with'a source of electrical energy, at one end through a wire 24, and at the other end through wire 25 which leads to abar 26 embedded in insulation 27.

A second bar 28'is also embedded in the insulation and' spaced from the bar 26. Bar 28 is connected to th'e conductor 29 which leads through the normally closed switch 30 and fuse 31 to the second line wire 32. The two bars 26 and 28 vare rigidly supported in any suitable way upon the car body and extend into the hollow door 10. At their' point'of entry I arrange upon the door the two insulated brushes 33 and 34, or other suitable contacts. One brush 33 is electri-- cally connected through conductor 35 with terminals 36 at the front edge of the -door and lying within the channel formed to receive the spring-pressed buifer 37. The brush 34 is connected through conductor 38, with terminals 39 arranged to coperatev 'with the spring terminals 36. ln the normal sulatlng block 40 carried 0n` the inner face of the buffer and is pressed thereby into engagement with the terminal 39 and c ompletes the circuit through the solenoid W1nding 23. The resultingenergization of the latter lifts the plunger `valve to a position in which the pipe'17a exhausts through the branch 17f'f, .while thel iow of compressedair lio CVI

.through pipe 17' is out oil' by the valve desired.

it is perfectly obvious that the door could be. halted at any point during its closing travel, if desired, by exposing the bars 2b and 28 throughout their length to Contact with the brushes 33 and 3ft. The only point at danger 'of injury to the passenger who obstructs the door occurs is that at which the door is nearly closed and the leg or arm is in danger of being caught between the door and the jamb. Consequently the bars and 28 are insulated for the major portion of their length from Contact with the brushes 33 and 3% se that even it the butler 37 should be depressed during the first portion. of the closing travel ot the door, it has no effect upon closing movement und it is not until the door is nearly closed that the bars 26 and'Q/S are engaged by the brushes 33 and 34 and that the mechanism is in a condition in which the solenoid circuit could be closed by the depression of the i,

Similarly, the brushes 33, Sil run oil the bars :25, 2S and onto the insulation 2T just before the door comes into contact with the jamb. rll'ie depression of the buii'er by itsv impact against the Jamb under the closing'- torce thus does not result in the cutting out ot the closing pressure as it would were the brushes and bars still in contact( lt is'thus seen that the exposedportion :v of the bars 26, conforms in length and position to .the dunrfenzone travel o1c the door.

While l have shown the solenoid operating a controlling valve in a pneumatically closed door, it will be readily understood. that it could equally well open a clutch or operate any suitable disconnecting mecha nism in mechanically7 operated closing device. ln the arrangement shown'in Figs. i? and 3 the door carries on its rear edge a tube 4:2 provided near its outer end with plates i3 and del separated by insulation 5i-rom the tube and coperating with terminals t6 and 4t? to which the wires 2,5 and 2Q respectively are connected. Thus when the door has reached a position substantially correspond ing te that shown in Fig. l, the contacts 46 f and i?. mounted in stationary position on tion.

trainees the car body, ride up on the plates 43 and el and make electrical Contact therewith, thus substantially corresponding in their action to the engagement of the contacts 33 and 34 with the bars 26 and 28 oli-Fig. l. To complete the circuit between plates and lll I provide a rod 48 attached at one end to the buffer 37 (Fig. l) and held by the latter normallv in the position shown in F ig.v 2. ln this positions metal ring 49, supported on the rod 48 through-an insulating bushing 50, `is spaced from the lugs t and 52 which project into the tube 4-2 from the respective plates 43 and 44. Should the buffer 37 be now depressed, the rod'llS is e driven backward and the ring i9 pressed against the lugs l, 52, thus completing the solenoid circuit and shifting the valve to Athe position in which the compressed air is cut od' :from the power cylinder l5 through pipe 17h, whereupon pipe 17a is opened to the exhaustI 17C. Obviously upon the removal of the obstruction, the outward movement of the buffer breaks the solenoid circuit and the valve returns to normal posi- Pins 53 and 54 may be supplied, it desired, to hold the brushes il@ and t? normally outo Contact with the tube ft2 the casing 45 or insulation may be carried the full length of the tube, if desired.

ln the modification shown in Figs. ai to "7, my invention is adapted to the construction shown in the patent to Rowntreeet al num-- bered 1,001,990. In like manner as there shown, the rod 55 rocks the bell crank lever 56 upon the depression of the buer 37 and Aforces backward the rod 57 which projects through the rear edge of the door. A saddle 58, embracing a curved bar 59 on the rear edge of the door, is carried at one end of the rocker bar 60. The engagement bet veen the saddle and the curved bar 59 results in the turning of the rocker bar (i0 on its axis, on the longitudinal displacement of the rod 57 with relation to the door. l utilize this movement of the rocker bar 60 to secure the engagement between the two contacts 6l and 62 connected respectively to the wires 29 and 25 of the solenoid circuit. To this `end the contact 62 is mounted in .stationary position, while the contact 6l is carried upon the plate 63. The latter is held against longitudinal movement by the frame 64, but is free to rock into engagement with the Contact 62. flanges 65, on the plate 63, form a guide for the outer end of the rod-60 and the latter is provided ywith a key 66 for a portion of its length which engages in a key-way formed in the flanges 65. The key 66 is located upon the rod 60 in such position that it does not engage its keyway in the flanges until the door has reached approximately the position shown in Fig. l. Consequently an ob.-

struction to the door which occurs in ani Downwardly projecting v n of this position would not rock the a c tact 6l into engagement with the contactv TWhereas, if the door had reached the position shown in Fig. l and the key 66 had become engaged in the key-way 67, the depression of the buffer 37 would result in the oscillation of the plate 63 and move the contact 61 into circuit-closing position with relation to contact 62. A spring 68 may be arranged beneath one end of the plate G3 to accelerate its return upon the release of the buil'er. To insure the engagement between the key 66 and its key-way 67, the edges of the latter may be beveled outward, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

In the modification'shown in Fig. 8, Iv

have assumed that the door is electrically closed through any suitablev means (not shown). The circuit for operating the clos- .ing mechanism is led through terminals 69 and 70, normally connected by the switch piece 7l, carried on a lever 72 to which the stem 73 of thesolenoid core 7 -l is connected. Upon the energization of the solenoid through any one of the mechanisms above described, the core 74 is lifted and carries with it the switch piece 7l, thus breaking the circuit through the terminals 69 and 70 and denergizing the electrically operated closing mechanism. As soon as the solenoid circuit is broken by the return of the buffer to normal position, the switch 7l drops between the terminals 69 and 70 and again completes the circuit of the closing mechanism.

Various other applications of the invention will readily suggest themselves and I "do not limit my invention to the details shown and described. v

I claim as my invention l. The combination with a door of means for closing the door, electricallyI controlled means for halting the doorI in its closing travel and means oserated by the impact of the door against an obstruction during only the latter portion of its closing movement for completing the controlling circuit.

2. The combination with a. door of means for closing the door, electrically controlled means for halting the door in its closing travel, a pair of contacts in the controlling circuit, one of said contacts being carried by the door and the other being stationary with relation thereto, saidcontacts being automatically closed only' during the approach of the door to its jamb, together with a pair of normally open contacts also in the controlling circuit and means operated by the impact of the door against an obstruction on its closing movement for -completing the circuit through@ said normally open Acontacts.

'3. The combination with a door of means for closing the door, electrically` controlled means for vreiideringwsaid: closing n reans ins 4 operative and means operated bythe impact of the door against anobstruction during only the latter portion of its closing movement for completing the controlling circuit. 4f. The combination witha door of means for closing the door, electrically controlled means for rendering said closing means inoperative and means operated by the impact of the door against an obstruction during only the latter portion of its closing movement for completing the controlling circuit.

5. The combination with a sliding door of means for closing the door, and electrically controlled means for rendering said closing means inoperative, said door halting means comprising a stationary contact in the controlling circuit, a cooperating contact carried bythe door and reciprocating therewith,

` said contacts automatically closing during only the latter portion of the closing'travel of thedoor, a pair of normally open contacts also in said circuit and a yieldable buffer at the edge of said door and means operated by the displacement of saidbuii'er' with'relation to said door for closing said normally open contacts.

6. The combination with a door, a yielding member carried at the front edge of the door, means for closing the door and electrically controlled means for halting the door in its closing travel, said door halting means comprlslng an electric clrcuit and coperating' contacts therein normally open but tion by the' move-ment of said yieldable member with relation to the door on impact against an obstruction together with aseoond pair of coperating contacts in said circuit, one of said contacts moving'with the door and the other being stationary with relation thereto, the circuit through said last mentioned pair of contacts being automatically closed during only the latter portion `of the closing travel of the door.

7. The combination with a door, a yielding member carried at the front edge of the (loor, means forclosing the door.' and elecadapted to be brought into electrical conneccuit, one of said contacts moving with the door and the other being stationary with relation thereto, the circuit through said last mentioned, pair of contacts being automatically closed during only the latter portion of the closing travel of the door.

' 8. The combination with a door, of means forfclosing the door, and means for halting the door in its closing travel, said means comprising an electric circuit, an electrolmagnetic means therein for operating the for closing the door, and means for halting the door in its closing travel, said means comprising an electric circuit, an electromagnet means therein for operating the door-halting` means, normally open contacts in said circuit and means operated by the impact of the door against an obstruction on its closing movement for bringing said con` tacts in electrical engagement to complete the circuit and breaking said electrical engagement on the removal of said obstruction, whereby the circuit is opened and the door-halting means rendered inoperative together with a second pair of` cooperating vcontacts in said circuit, one of said contacts moving with the door and the other being stationary with relation thereto, the circuit through said last mentioned pair of contacts being automatically closed during only the latter portion of the .closing travel of the door.

10. The combination with a door of aspring-pressed yielding member carried at the front edge of the door, means for closing the door and electrically controlled means for halting the door in its closing travel, said door halting means comprising an electric circuit and coperating contacts therein normally open but adapted to be brought into electrical connection by the movement of said yieldable member with relation to the door on impact against an obstruction, said yieldable member separating said contacts again upon the return of said yieldalole member to normal position after the re'- moval of said obstruction together with a second pair of cooperating contacts in said circuit, one of said contacts moving with the door and the other being stationary With relation thereto, the circuit through said last mentioned pair of contacts being automatically closed during only the latter portion et the closing travel of the door..v

ll. The combination with a door of a spring-pressed yielding member carried the front edge of the door, means for closing the door and electrically controlled means for halting the door in its closing travel, I

said door halting means comprising an electric circuit and cooperating contacts therein normally open but adapted to be brought automaticallyinto electrical connection by the movement of said yieldable member with relation to the door on impact against an obstruction, said yieldable member automati` cally separating said contacts again upon the return of said yieldable member to normal position `after the removal of said obstruction together with a second pair of coperating contacts in said circuit, one of said contacts moving with the door and the othe1 beingstationary with relation thereto, the'` circuit through said last mentioned pair of contacts being automatically closed durin only the latter portion of the closing trave of the door.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification, in the presence ot two subscribing witnesses.

HAROLD F. PARSH. lVitnesses L. H. GROTE, HUBERT HowsoN. 

